Abstract

In this 2026 interview, Monique Davis reflects on her lifelong connection to East Cleveland as a proud Shaw High School graduate and educator committed to serving her alma mater and community. Davis discusses her educational journey, including earning degrees in education and instructional technology. She discusses teaching and mentoring students through innovative technology and computer science instruction within the East Cleveland City School District. Davis highlights the development of Shaw High School’s Cybersecurity and IT Career and Technical Education program, emphasizing hands-on learning, leadership development, industry certification opportunities, and workforce preparation for students. Davis also emphasizes the importance of rigorous instruction, community engagement, and creating pathways that empower East Cleveland students.

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Interviewee

Davis, Monique (interviewee)

Interviewer

Mays, Nicholas S. (interviewer)

Project

East Cleveland

Date

2-27-2026

Document Type

Oral History

Duration

99 minutes

Transcript

Nick Mays [00:00:00] My name is Dr. Nicholas Mays, and today I am conducting an oral history interview for the East Cleveland Oral History project. Today is February 7, 2026. This project documents the lived experiences, histories, and perspectives of individuals who have deep roots and connections with the city of East Cleveland. Today I'm joined by Ms. Monique Davis, a proud East Clevelander, Shaw High School alum, and longtime educator whose work spans special education, community science, and cybersecurity education. Ms. Davis, thank you for contributing to our project and your willingness to share your story. Can we begin by you giving us your full name and age?

Monique Davis [00:00:50] My name is Monique Cheney Davis, and I'll be 57 next Friday.

Nick Mays [00:00:55] Okay, thank you. Let's start off with early life in the East Cleveland roots. Let us begin with your. Your early years and early life. Can you start with the city, your city of birth and how did your family come to East Cleveland?

Monique Davis [00:01:15] I was born in Cleveland. Grew up. I can't even say grew up. I spent my early years in Collingwood. Most of my family still lives in the Collingwood area. Deep roots there. My mom grew up in Collingwood. My dad was from Glenville, and they happened to meet at a friend's house when they were in high school. [00:01:38] So when they got married, they wound up living in the house right behind my mom's grandparents, my mom's parents, my grandparents. So we were there for a few years, and then they had saved up enough money to buy a house, a two family in East Cleveland. So when I was in kindergarten, we moved to East Cleveland. [00:02:04] We were the third black family on the street. 

Nick Mays [00:02:08] Really? When did you become conscious of that?

Monique Davis [00:02:11] Right away. Right away, because my neighbors. The dad was super friendly, the mom was not so. And I remember the daughter, she liked. Her name was Peggy, and she liked to play, and she wanted to play with us. And so there was always some contention, and I couldn't put a finger on what it was. [00:02:32] I didn't know it was black or white. I just knew that we were different. And she didn't want her kid playing with somebody who was different. Right. So we kind of snuck and played together.

Nick Mays [00:02:41] Can you recall the year or what decade or your family moved to East Cleveland?

Monique Davis [00:02:49] 76, I want to say. Maybe because I was like five.

Nick Mays [00:02:54] Oh, that's interesting. Are you aware of your Southern roots, where your ancestors-- Like your mom's and dad's parents?

Monique Davis [00:03:10] Dad was from Arkansas, so my grandma. My grandfather, he was from Arkansas. And my grandmother I don't know as much about because her mother died when her and her twin were being born. So they lived with family. So I know they spent a lot of time in Michigan. They spent most of their childhood years in Michigan. But I can't, I don't know for sure exactly where she was born and where she's actually from.

Nick Mays [00:03:38] Okay, thank you. So, born in Cleveland, moved to East Cleveland at the kindergarten age. What were your earliest memories of growing up in East Cleveland?

Monique Davis [00:03:54] Growing up in East Cleveland, I remember just being able to play outside on the streets. We had a ravine right in our backyard and we could. There were certain backyards you could go in so you could get down into the ravine. I remember hiking all through there. There was a playground at one of the ends of the ravine, so I think it was Ravine Park. And so we would play there. I remember, man, there were certain yards, lawns you couldn't step on because, you know, there were neighbors that were very contentious and proud of their yards. Mr. Thornton had a corner store. We used to go to Mr. Thornton's corner store. You could take glass bottles back and redeem them for, I think it was 10 cents. And so you could buy penny candy at the store. So that was such a. I love that. I miss those. I wish those things were still around for our kids now. You know, everybody knew. Everybody, parents knew who you were. If you broke something, did something, you know, parents came out and they took care of it right then. [00:05:06] So I remember having a friend, we were walking down the street and she threw her glass Coke bottle on the ground and broke glass. And then one of the neighbor ladies came out with her broom and dust pan and was like, here, clean that up. I said, wait, I didn't break. This is your street. Yeah. And you didn't like disrespect. You didn't say. But you didn't, you didn't keep talking. You just did it. Cuz you knew if you said or did something that they were going to go talk to your parent later. 

Nick Mays [00:05:35] I see. Thank you for that, Ms. Davis. What about elementary and junior high? What schools did you attend and what did. If you could recall memories in junior high, Elementary.

Monique Davis [00:05:49] I was a Caledonia Cougar. So now all of the mascots are all Cardinals in the school district now. But when we were growing up, every elementary school had their own mascot. So I was a Caledonia Cougar. And then I went to W.H. kirk Middle School.

Nick Mays [00:06:09] what did East Cleveland mean to you as a young person? Just kind of thinking back now?

Monique Davis [00:06:19] It was just a Sense of pride. I mean, you know, we had that big rivalry. We were Cleveland Heights and you were proud of the project from East Cleveland. You know, don't mix me up with Cleveland Heights. That's two streets away. So. And we were right across the street retreat from GE so every year we had the light show with the decorations. It brings back such fond and good memories. So when I think about, you know, childhood, East Cleveland, and you know, the things we did, we could go up and down the hills, ride your bike, started the top of the Noble Hill and ride all the way down to Euclid, and then walk it back up. So you can do that on Taylor. We went to the pond and we would ice skate in the wintertime. So yes, I learned how to ice skate in East Cleveland.

Nick Mays [00:07:10] Can you recall certain businesses or activities of leisure that you and your family did or you did as a young person?

Monique Davis [00:07:27] No. Well, I won't say no, but I got shipped off in the summers a lot of times. We had a uncle that had a farm in West Farmington, Ohio. So we get shipped off to the farm in the summertime. So obviously I tell people time. I'm a city girl with country roots.

Nick Mays [00:07:44] Where's this farm at?

Monique Davis In West Farmington, Ohio?

Nick Mays [00:07:46] Oh, okay. So it's in Ohio.

Monique Davis [00:07:48] And we go out there. I had my own pony. I had a rifle. So I grew up a tomboy, so that was like perfect for me. My sister was ew the whole time. But you know, we didn't have a TV in the house out on the farm. We didn't. You know, you listen to the radio, you listen to music, you got up early, you were outside all day.

Nick Mays [00:08:13] So now we're going to pivot and talk about Shaw High School and your formative educational experiences. You are a 1987 graduate of Shaw High School. What stands out most when you think back on your time at Shaw High School?

Monique Davis [00:08:38] There's two things I hated swimming class. That's when Shaw had a pool and you were required to take swimming as part of your gym. And I had it first period my freshman year. So you would get dressed to go to school only to have to get in the pool and then try to hurry up and get dressed at the end of class cuz you had the rest of the day. So that's still stuck in my mind. It's like, why would you give freshman girls first period gym swimming? Why would you do that to us? So that's, that's one thing. And then the other thing is my Years on the track team, that, that was one of my favorite things at Shaw High School.

Nick Mays [00:09:24] How would you describe. Just to get a little more into the weeds and kind of unpack your experience a little bit more. How would you describe academic culture expectations, but also opportunities?

Monique Davis [00:09:39] At Shaw, there was a high expectation that you would learn and that you would succeed. I got that sense from every teacher that I had in the building. I remember Mrs. Abernathy, we had, as freshmen, freshman English, we had to do a 10 to 15 page term paper. First meeting. Yeah. And she took you through the steps. [00:10:05] But we didn't have Internet. We didn't have the computers. We didn't. We didn't. So you went to the library and you made those little cards for your references. And it was, it was an experience. I never forgot number one. And it taught me how to write an essay, how to write a term paper. So you had that skill your freshman year and you carried through all the way to college. So it was terrifying as a freshman, of course. But I still remember my term paper was on black monuments across the country. So I still remember that. And it was 12 pages. I didn't go for the minimum. Would you do your research here at East Library? This one, the main library. And we used to have satellite branches, and so I was also using the Caledonia Library.

Nick Mays [00:11:02] So you're an educator. So you understand programming. What's the other word i'm looking for? Curriculum. And the opportunities that it can. The challenges. But more importantly, the opportunities. Kind of thinking back to your experience at Shaw, your time at Shaw, what programs or curriculum or opportunities that students had that they can use to gain, to get jobs and careers? Was there any vocational training or was there any tracks or.

Monique Davis [00:11:53] Yeah, they have vocational at Shaw back then. Now I can't tell you all the programs that there were, but I know we had. I know we had the automotive stuff. I know we had cosmetology. Dho, I think it was called at the time for the medical school. But I don't remember all of the. But we had the vocational building, and that's where most people ate lunch because they had the best lunch in the vocation. If you wanted burgers and fries and shakes, you went to the technical class. You went to the technical building cafeteria.

Nick Mays [00:12:24] Did you take advantage of any of these kind of career paths or through trainings and vocational training?

Monique Davis [00:12:32] I didn't, no. Because I was on the college track. I knew at an early age I wanted to be a teacher. So I knew I had to go to college for that. And so I think back then, you were either going to college or you were going to the vocational workforce route.

Nick Mays [00:12:46] So when did you know you wanted to be a teacher? When did you first know?

Monique Davis [00:12:51] I was young. I used to ask for things for Christmas, too, so I could teach. Had a chalkboard, I had a round table that I asked for, and I had. My dad would set it up on the back porch for me in the spring and summertime, and I would teach all the neighborhood kids. [00:13:09] We play school, and I tell my sister all the time her Ivy League education is because of me, because I would come home and teach her everything I was learning at school. So she went to school.

Nick Mays [00:13:19] Reading and all that good stuff were there. And even if you don't know their names, that's fine. But can you think about teachers or staff that had an impact on you?

Monique Davis [00:13:31] Oh, yeah. Mrs. Abernathy, Mr. Hines, my science teacher, Mr. Burch. I was terrified of him. And it wasn't in a, like, scary bad way. He was just so firm, and he had very strict rules in the way he ran his classroom, so you didn't dare not comply. And he was just so boisterous and emphatic about everything he did. In the class you came in, you did your work, and you did not want to be on his backside. And we used to play a game where each corner of the room, when you answered the question, if you got it right, you went to a more civilized organism. If you got it wrong, you headed back towards the amoeba corner.

Nick Mays [00:14:20] Really?

Monique Davis [00:14:20] Yes, yes. And so I did not want to be an amoeba. I wanted to continue my progressive organism route. So you studied and you made sure. You knew, you did the homework, and you made sure that you had all of his stuff done and on point. So, yeah, I'm trying to think. Yeah.

Nick Mays [00:14:48] Well, so you mentioned developing, you know, like, a love for learning and a passion for learning and wanting to be an education early on. How, looking back, how do you think Shaw, or did Shaw help to nurture that interest?

Monique Davis [00:15:07] Oh, yeah. Watching the teachers that I had teach and just being involved. My sociology teacher, Ms. Jacobs, kind of. Beverly Jacobs. Beverly Can. Zader Jacobs took me under her wing. She was a huge mentor in my life. Even after I graduated high school, I still kept in touch. She wound up being the godmother for my daughter when in the summertime, and she needed. When I was in high school in the summertime that she needed someone to babysit, I would babysit. I wound up traveling with her and her family one summer my freshman year back in college and I got to go to Hilton Head. So there were things I got to experience from teachers in my life that I hadn't done before. [00:15:58] Like we traveled, we went to several different cities, stayed a week in Hilton Head. And so I was kind of the nanny for a summer and just watching her interact with her kids as an educator. And her children were small three and five I think. So Charlotte and Stephanie and they were. The three year old was reading, was reading the menu and trying to pronounce a big word and then she'd like sound it out. And she was just so very patient with her kids. And I was like, this is awesome. I said, knowing that she was a teacher and I wanted to be a teacher, I was like, that's how I'm gonna be to my kids. You know, I'm gonna give them all those experience enough to opportunities. And my kids were readers early.

Nick Mays [00:16:44] How did your parents kind of cultivate this interest that you had early on in education? In that you wanted to be a educator yourself.

Monique Davis [00:17:01] My mom was a stickler for grammar and syntax. So in articulation. So she did not play. So you spoke the king's English at home we didn't use nicknames. And so she was very. Up until like I was in maybe middle school, she off of a high school education. She was a reader. She was very emphatic about, you will get your education and you will do well. You're going to college. My dad was the jovial, we're going to have fun while we do it. I learned how to work on cars with him and had a toolbox that could tinker and take things apart and put things back together that always well. But he was the hands on, you learn by doing parent. And my mom was the study. Let's get your homework done. And then math was not my strong point. So my dad would pull out. Like we. I didn't know they were manipulative at the time, but he'd pull out. If we're kind of doing money in third grade, then here, let's pull out some money. Let's learn how to count it. Let's. If we. The calendar, learning how to count time on a calendar, those kind of things. I have memories of my dad sitting there with the calendar saying, okay, if it's a week from today, what, what, what day are we looking at? Because you had to do that kind of stuff on your homework. And my mom was okay, let me check it over. You guys did it together. Now, let me look over it.

Nick Mays [00:18:38] Is there a piece of information or advice or a saying that you got from your parents growing up that still informs your work today or your humanity today, your engagement with society today that maybe you could think about, like a quote or a saying or something taught?

Monique Davis [00:19:08] I don't. Not for my parents. My grandmother used to have all kinds of sayings that still kind of resonate in my head from time to time. Not all of them were appropriate to say to a child or a teenager. But, you know, later on in your life, you'd be like, oh, that's what she meant.

Nick Mays [00:19:31] You know, let's pause for a second here because we. I didn't ask you. I typically do this earlier to introduce us to your family, your parents, your siblings, your children, significant others. Let's start with your. Your parents, their names, your siblings, how many you have. What's their names?

Monique Davis [00:19:55] So my mom's Gwendolyn Davis. My dad was Barry Garcia Davis. And depending on how you. When you grew up with him or if you worked with him. He passed away in June. And there were people who got up to speak, said, I never knew his name was Barry. So. Because everybody in the family kind of called him Garcia, and then people from work or in the community called him Barry. So my mother never called him Garcia. She always called him Barry because the family called him Garcia. So he was Barry to her. And so. And I had cousins that called him Uncle Guy. So just depending on how you're doing, my mom, Gwendolyn. Do not shorten it to Gwen. She would correct you. So. And then my. We had a two family, so my dad's mom lived upstairs, and my uncle was still a teenager when I was growing up, so he. So my uncle Jeff lived upstairs. He was like my big brother, even though I didn't have one. So it was just my sister and myself, and I'm the oldest, so she was the kind of two and a half, almost three years younger.

Nick Mays [00:21:04] So you have children?

Monique Davis [00:21:06] I do. I have two kids. I have a daughter who'll be 34 and a son who'll be 32.

Nick Mays [00:21:14] Were your parents homeowners In East Cleveland?

Monique Davis [00:21:17] Yes. They bought their home when we moved to East Cleveland when they bought it. My sister and I spent a lot of time at my mom's moms house with my grandmother living Upstairs. She was there all the time. Our doors didn't close, so we were free to go back and forth upstairs and downstairs between the two family houses. So it's like having extended family living with you.

Nick Mays [00:21:47] Okay, well, thank you for that. We're gonna pivot. Talk about higher education. And professional preperation.

Monique Davis [00:21:55] Okay.

Nick Mays [00:21:57] So after graduating from Shaw High School, you pursued higher education. Can you talk us through your educational journey?

Monique Davis [00:22:12] Yes. So when I was in high school, Leon Hines, one of the social student teachers, took a group of us on college visit to his alma mater, Bluffton College, now Bluffton University. And so we spent a weekend down at Bluffton. Big old chartered bus down. And we got to do different things on campus. And it was great. It was like, oh, so this is what college is like. So. And you got to sleep in the dorm and you were linked with a student. So you got to walk around with a college student. And it was. I was like, okay, I definitely want to do college. And so when I got back to school though, I was like, okay, so I'm gonna apply. I wanted to go to Hampton University. So that was my plan.

Nick Mays [00:23:03] Hbcu.

Monique Davis [00:23:04] Yes. And they accepted me. And so I was like, excited. I wouldn't put, I think eight or ten pair of sandals in layaway at Value City. That when I got, the day after I got that acceptance because I was like, I'm going to be on the beach studying. I had all these visions of grander. [00:23:21] And they did send a letter saying, we would love to see you on campus. We don't have any money to give you, but come on down. And I was like, oh, that's going to be different because I mean, my family didn't have the money to pay for college. So my second alternative was Bluffton because I had applied to Bluffton and they paid for everything except for $624.

Nick Mays [00:23:46] So full ride, basically.

Monique Davis [00:23:48] Year. So I went to Bluffton. And I was one of three black girls on campus. There were 31 black students on campus while I was there. It was a population of about 990something kids. And I enjoyed every moment there. Met my husband on campus, my ex husband on campus. [00:24:12] And it was a phenomenal four years. Still have friends from that time that I'm in touch with and hang out. I got to rub shoulders with the president of the college, my professor, my education professor. She had us all over to her house all the time. When I got married my junior year in College and going into my senior year and they were just so welcoming of all of us. Professor Dickey was the communications professor. I was on his forensics team and then talked to my husband into doing it and he won many awards. And so they embraced us as a family. It was great.

Nick Mays [00:24:58] What motivated you to study elementary education and then later instructional technology?

Monique Davis [00:25:06] I started elementary education and then I was going to do middle school English. I wanted to be an English teacher like Mrs. Abernathy. I thought I could do that. And then I did a pre student teaching at an elementary school school with an English teacher, at a middle school with an English teacher. And it was the most boring moment in my education and they wouldn't let me do anything. And he just sat there. He had the kids read during the period and then before they would leave, they would answer like some questions and then the next class would come in and do the same thing. And I was like, oh, I cannot do this. This is, I'm not built for this. Just here, come in, read for 30 minutes, answer these questions for 10 minutes and then, okay, shuffle you out the next second, do the same thing. I was like, I don't remember my English ever being like that. So I was like, yeah, I can't do this. So I switched because I was going to do middle school, middle education. And I switched down the element back down elementary. I was like, yeah, elementary it is.

Nick Mays [00:26:12] Walk us through your certification. You have [inaudible], special education, instructional technology, technical education. Maybe there's something I'm missing, but what, what drew you to such a broad and evolving skill set?

Monique Davis [00:26:34] It's actually funny because I graduated well, I finished a semester early, a quarter early from school. So I decided I was going to teach because the plan was we were going to move once we graduated. My husband, ex husband and I, we were going to move to Cincinnati and we were going to get jobs there. [00:26:55] We were going to, you know, grow up and have all these things. And then I went to, I was going to sub because I was done early, but we weren't technically, technically graduated. So I was going to sub for the local school district down in that area. It was Lyman city schools. And so I went down to get the information about a sub. [00:27:18] How do I sub before I grabbed. Before I graduate, what information do you need? What paperwork? And this guy came out and said, hey, would you be interested in interviewing with us? We've got a couple positions open. And I said, okay. And you don't know at the time, you know, you're 20 something years old. [00:27:43] And you're like, you want to give me a job? Sure. So I went.

Nick Mays [00:27:46] What's the bag like?

Monique Davis [00:27:50] Well, I didn't even ask that part. It was like a job before I graduate. Sure, A teaching job before I graduate. What are the chances? So I didn't have a suit, I didn't have a resume. So I had to. And they wanted me to come back that next day for an interview. So I had to go to the career center and say, hey, I need a resume because I have an interview tomorrow. And they said, okay, give us the information that you have and we'll type it up. So the career center typed up my resume for me and made copies. I had to go to my dorm. I said, okay, I need a suit. I've had an interview. And so just out of the friends on my floor, we pieced together a suit and didn't have heels because I didn't wear professional heels. I was a tennis shoes and you know, give me something comfortable to wear kind of person. And so got that. And so then practicing for it, I had to go back to the career center. They said, okay, let's practice for the interview. So there were two people that stayed kind of late to help me practice and get ready. [00:28:56] So it was; went to the interview and they were like, "so we had this position." I didn't realize it was a special ed position. And then once I accepted it, they said, okay, you're gonna have to go back to school and get this license. And so, okay, I'll do that. So I wound up going to University of Findlay to do my. Because Bluffton didn't offer a special education license. So I have to go get my license in development. Developmentally handicapped K to 12.

Nick Mays [00:29:24] So you went to a school to do... 

Monique Davis Elementary education one through eight. 

Nick Mays Well, I mean the job; you went to the school to do to be a substitute. But then they said, hey, we're hiring.

Monique Davis [00:29:40] Well, no, I want to. I went down there to apply so I could just sub. Sub in their district. I was just going to sub in classrooms until we graduated and then moved to Cincinnati. But they offered me a position which required me to go back to school. So I had a full time teaching position. [00:29:57] $19,000 a year. That was the starting salary. And I thought I was rich.

Nick Mays [00:30:03] What was 19,000? I was gonna ask you.

Monique Davis [00:30:06] I was like, we're gonna buy a house, we're gonna buy cars. Cars. What do you want? Clothes, shoes? Let's do this. You know, as that's the first time you had a salary job and you didn't have to clock in, clock out, you're just gonna make money. Yes, I can do this. I was creating a new unit, a special ed unit for four to sixth grade. And it was mid year because this was in January. And so they pulled kids out of classrooms they had been in since August and threw them into this new unit because they had had overcrowding and they had to get their numbers down. So here's me, a teacher who has only taught in student teaching at a elementary school in Bluffton exempted village, with a teacher who had a very good classroom management. And so I had a very structured classroom. And now I'm in Lima City School teaching on the south side, which was where most of the people who are low income live, and Whittier Elementary School. And when I tell you I had no idea what I was getting myself into. So I spent many a day saying, oh, I don't think I'm cut out for teaching. I don't think I'm gonna be able to do this. I'm gonna have to figure out another career. So. But what I will say is I had a great staff around me. One of the Veteran teachers, Beverly McCoy, took me under her wing and my principal was in fact phenomenal principal David Shaner. No, sorry, that was Shayna was my cooperating teacher, David Shanks and was my principal and they really kind of got me through that year. And one of the things my principal would always say, when you go into his office with a problem and you sit down and he would say, "okay, I want you to consider when you're 99 years old, will this matter? Well, what's going on right now matter in your life?" And I would say, no; okay, then this is just a bump in the road, so we'll get through this. And it's like, okay. But he was saying, really think about, doesn't matter what you're feeling right now, doesn't matter what are some solutions we can come up with.

Nick Mays [00:32:46] Great philosophy.

Monique Davis [00:32:48] And so then I, as the years went on, I would walk into his office. I know when I'm 99, I won't care about this. But right now, so. And we had a, that experience taught me what your education, family can feel like. We were close knit staff, we could joke with each other and make fun of each other and it was, nothing was taken personal, you didn't get offended. We had monthly get togethers and it was a roving get together so it would be at someone's house every month, and then two people hosted it. So it was kind of like, okay, this helps you get through the tough times. Because my students did not mesh well. I learned. It was baptism by fire that year. And. But the next year was better, and then the year after that was better. So I was like, okay. And then I had teachers, hey, you're not going to get everything right. Everything's not going to go well. You're not going to always have parent support you. But you do the job the best, best way you can, and you commit to your kids. And he-- my principal used to say, "we don't not not like kids on the clock." So your kids are your kids from the time they get here to the time they leave. You're responsible for them. You're responsible for the humans that they are when they're in your classroom. And I took that to heart. And then I used to. I'd be there trying to get, okay, what I need to get for this kid, what do I need to do? And then my mentor, Teacher McCoy, would come in and say, hey, come on, let's go. She said, every second you're here after your contractual time, you pay yourself less. Let's go. Your family needs you at home. And so she's like, if you can't get it done during this contractual time, then it'll be here tomorrow.

Nick Mays [00:34:58] And then later, you earned a master's degree. What informed that decision. Or journey?

Monique Davis [00:35:10] So I taught at, in Lime City schools, and then I took time off to homeschool my kids. And then I started a daycare. So I was doing daycare in my home. Then I became a type A daycare, which was a step up from just being a regular daycare provider, type B. And so I was in between being a center and being a home provider so I could have more teeth. I had to have staff. And while I was homeschooling my kids, I was running a business. And then my ex husband and I were going through a divorce. And so I decided that I was going to move back to Cleveland and be closer to family. And so. But I hadn't been teaching and I hadn't renewed my license. And so since I had to renew my license, I was like, well, guess I'm going back to school and get my master's. So Notre Dame College, which is no more, is where I got my master's in education and I added an endorsement of computer technology.

Nick Mays [00:36:14] Why?

Monique Davis [00:36:14] Because I'd always been a tinkerer, and I knew that technology was going to be a part of the future. I didn't know how, I didn't know in what way, but I knew we were going to be as educators at some point. We were going to be introducing technology and computers and things to kids. And so I wanted to have that in my side pocket.

Nick Mays [00:36:38] How long had you lived in, was it Lima, Ohio?

Monique Davis [00:36:41] 17 years.

Nick Mays [00:36:42] Before moving to, did you move to Cleveland or East Cleveland when you came back?

Monique Davis [00:36:47] I moved to my mom's house in Bracknell when I first got here, because we were moving to a house in Euclid that wasn't ready yet. And so I was there for about a year year. And it we, we were renting the house. So it, we moved into the house. And then I went to work in Euclid. [00:37:15] I was a teacher in Euclid. And I realized pretty quickly, I was like, yeah, I've got to figure out where my kids are going to go to school. Because I was living in Euclid. We were, I was teaching in Euclid and my son was in the fourth grade at Euclid. And I was getting calls from his teacher every day about something. And I kept saying, well, the calls would be, well, he gets done with his work and then he starts bothering other kids. And I said, well, he's reading at a sixth grade level in the fourth grade. Is there any way we can switch his reading class where he's going to the sixth grade class? He's doing seventh grade math. Can we switch him to sixth grade math? Can he go do math and read? Because, like, you've got to figure out something else to do with him. If he's doing fourth grade work and he's above the fourth, like, what are we going to do with him? He wasn't tested as gifted or anything like that. I just knew his levels. And when I was homeschooling every year, at the end of the year, I had to take them to the board of Education and they had to do an academic test to see if they were progressing so that I could homeschool the next year. So I knew that he was sixth and seventh grade levels in those areas. [00:38:38] So I'm like, he's, you're getting these issues because he is not being challenged. And I can do all kinds of stuff here at home and outside of home. But if you're giving him fourth grade work to do and he's done with that in 10 minutes, 15 minutes, what's our plan going to be? And there really Was no plan. I said, well, can he go down to the kindergarten and help the kindergarten teacher once he's done with his work? Can he go be a helper down there, a mentor? Can he go read the kids, help kids with their math? Let's try to be proactive. And everything I kind of threw out was, nah, we can't do that.

Nick Mays [00:39:15] Because you're thinking outside the box and they're thinking within.

Monique Davis [00:39:20] We just need him to sit down.

Nick Mays [00:39:22] We've created a structure and we need him to adhere to this infrastructure that we developed. And, and so we're not going to go out of that. You know those parameters. So. And you're already thinking as an educator and a mom, let's, let's channel that energy somewhere. [00:39:47] So before you started. And we'll get to the East Cleveland School district. So you work for the Lima School District and the Euclid. Is there any other school districts.

Monique Davis [00:39:57] Well, I briefly worked for Bluffton; after I got done in-- at Lima City Schools. I was home and I was homeschooling my kids and I had an opportunity to be an LD tutor. One of the LD tutors at Bluffton Exhibited Village, the district where I did my student teaching was going on maternity leave and they needed somebody to fill in; and I was like. You know, I talked to my husband at the time and I was like, well, what do you think? And so I called one of my friends that I knew was doing daycare at home. I was like, hey, I have this opportunity to be a LD tutor. Would you be considered? She's like, oh, absolutely. So I did that for part of a year and that was, it was, that was amazing. I am, I enjoyed that time immensely because, you know, it gave you that whole different experience from Lima City schools, inner city school, and then I did a rural village school and just to have those contrasts. And I was working with students who had special needs because that was my license. And yeah, I made some really good friends there. We traveled together. Teachers and Bluffton. Most of them lived in Bluffton or in the surrounding small areas. And yeah, I remember my last day that I was leaving. One of the times when we were traveling at conferences and things and I talked about how much I hated pumpkin because, you know, I was a sweet potato pie person. And they all Thanksgiving time is pumpkin pie. I was like, no thanks. And so my last day, leaving every hour on the hour. I had a kid say, hey Mrs. Perkins, I've got something that somebody one of the teachers wanted me to break you and I'd be like, okay, well what is it? It was a can of pumpkin pie for me for pumpkin pie filling. And I was like, this is great.

Nick Mays [00:42:15] Does LD stands for learning disability. Is that the acronym? Ld?

Monique Davis [00:42:23] Learning disability.

Nick Mays [00:42:24] Learning disability, you know, I'm interested in. This is not a part of my questions. But you know, you're a teacher, an educator and a special education. You worked in that field for a while. And I know there has been some evolution since when I was young in elementary and I was in this special needs. They had another word for it to, to now where it was more compartmentalized in structure. And now it's, the kids are part of the general education and that pull out and come work with the kids in the class. But you have all the language and experience to kind of talk through that the intellectual intelligent way. Can you, can you talk about that evolution of special education then versus kind of where it's at now?

Monique Davis [00:43:29] Yes. So I started education as a self contained teacher. When I became a special ed teacher in Norman City School, I taught students who were developmentally handicapped. And then that name changed to cognitive disability and now it's evolved into intellectual disability. But I was always kind of the self contained kids who were one step above multi handicap. So my kids didn't go into the classroom. I was still self contained. I teach you everything and then you go home. But now even a lot of those programs are trying to phase out as much of that self contained as they can. So those students who have the intellectual disabilities, those students who even with multi handicap conditions are being included into the regular classrooms for all subjects, even electives, career tech, as much as they can. They're being, you know, come on into the regular classroom so that you get the exposure, the experience that every that so that you can do the things that you want to do. When I was at Shaw, I had students who were in the wanting handicap classroom who would come into my classroom. Their teacher just said can we pull them in to your class so they can get a feel for if this is something they want to do. And so we did that with them their 10th grade year. And then I had a student from her class who was autistic and not very verbal but who was doing my program his 11th grade year. He actually was in the program.

Nick Mays [00:45:22] So we're definitely going to talk about that. Thank you, Ms. Davis. And so this, this leads us and takes us to returning to East Cleveland school district in 2009, am I correct or is it 2006?

Monique Davis [00:45:45] Yes, 2009.

Nick Mays [00:45:46] Okay, so 2009, what motivated or what informed the decision to work for the East Cleveland school district? Full Circle.

Monique Davis [00:46:00] So when I first moved back to Cleveland, I want to apply at East Cleveland city schools and they had hiring freeze. So my first thought was to go teach them here in East Cleveland. But, you know, they weren't hiring. So it's like, okay, I gotta find the district. So I applied to several districts after that, and Euclid was the one that offered me a position. And so I took that position. And then I was graduating with my master's, so I was gonna get a bump in pay. And I thought, okay, now's the time to move districts if I'm gonna move, because you won't feel that pay cut that you're gonna have to take. Because most districts only give you 8 to 10 years, some only give you 5 years of experience, no matter how many years you've been teaching. So if most teachers, once they get into a district, typically don't move because you have to take a huge pay cut in order to do it. So I said, okay, this is the time. So I'm going to be getting my master's, which means I'll get a bump in the salary, and if I have to take a pay cut, I won't feel it as much. So. So I applied and I got hired, accepted, and I was like, elementary. So I was like, this is going to be great. Elementary special ed teacher. I'm gonna enjoy this. And then, you know, I started getting paperwork and, you know, I signed my attempt to hire and all that stuff. So I resigned from Euclid. And when I get to the orientation, so they're like giving everybody their sitting there, okay. I was like, why doesn't say anything about where I'm going to be teaching, which building? I was like, I walked over to him. I'm like, well, I don't have any information about what building, which elementary we're going to be in. And they looked at, oh, you're at high school. And I was just like, what? What do you mean I'm at high school? What? I'm not a high school. I never taught high school before. But my license said K to 12. So you talk about that shell shocked. So I don't remember what was said in that orientation. I don't remember what all we did. I couldn't tell you about that day because in my mind, I Can't tell. You teach high school. I don't know high school kids. What are you talking about? I've never spent a day in a high school. And so I was fighting back tears the whole day. Fighting back tears the whole day. And so then I got to the high school and, you know, they're doing. And they have me doing English. [00:48:57] I'm feeding into an English class. And I'm on a cart because they didn't have enough classrooms for me to have a classroom. So I would be going from room to room on a cart with all my stuff.

Nick Mays [00:49:08] And this is Shaw High School.

Monique Davis [00:49:10] This is at Shaw High School. I was just like, what?

Nick Mays [00:49:13] So your first placement when you first got your job with the East Cleveland School District?

Monique Davis [00:49:19] Well, that's what it was supposed to be. So I didn't actually end up doing that because one of the veteran teachers who had been doing the self contained education; she was like, how come I didn't get the opportunity to get on the cart? How come I didn't get that opportunity to do English? Blah, blah, blah. And so they were like, well, if you want to do it. And she's okay with it. I was like, absolutely, I'm okay with it. You take the cart. And so I wound up in the. It's called the independent living program. So I was doing what I had kind of always done, especially education. I was doing self contained education with students with significant cognitive disability.

Nick Mays [00:49:56] But what school?

Monique Davis [00:49:58] Oh, for Shaw. It was the high school still. Okay, so I was still, yeah, in shell shock from that. But it was like, you're gonna throw me in the high school and put me on a cart. I said, well, at least I have a classroom now, so.

Nick Mays [00:50:11] Oh, I see. Yeah, I see.

Monique Davis [00:50:13] So I had never not had a classroom. What do you mean I'm not gonna have a classroom? What do you mean? I'm gonna be roaming the halls with all my belongings on a cart. Do you know how much stuff I have in my basement?

Nick Mays [00:50:26] So from 2009 to your transition, you were at Shaw High School?

Monique Davis [00:50:30] Well, no, that's not true. So I did one year at Caledonia. So they moved me to Caledonia for a year because again, my license said K to 12. So. So to go from the high school teaching opposite the high school for maybe six or seven years. And then they said. I got a letter in the mail two weeks before school started saying, oh, yeah, you're gonna be at the elementary school. What? So now you're taking me from high school? Which I quickly loved. Being at the High school, working with high school kids. And then they moved me a year down to the elementary. And so you went from high school life to you got to walk the kids to the bathroom. Everybody has to be like, you've got to do recess duty. What is this? What is this? What? So that was another shell shock. So had to get back in the habit of being in elementary. And then they moved. They had me sharing a classroom with the teacher. How can we both share classrooms and teach kids at the same time? And it's like, oh, we don't have enough room. So then they said, well, one of you can go down to the library and that can be your classroom if you want. So because I was the new teacher on the block, my students and I went down to the library and I taught them in the library because we didn't have a librarian anymore. So there was no like library programming. So it's like, you can use that if you want.

Nick Mays [00:51:58] How long were you there? Because you went back.

Monique Davis One year.

Monique Davis [00:52:01] And then I didn't go back to the high school right away. I went to the middle school. So I did two years in middle school and that was the longest two years ever. So I love kids, but middle school kids are different. They are just different. I tell you all the time, I love my kids, but I didn't like them when they were middle school kids. Just that awkward. I'm not a little kid, but I want to be a big kid and I think I know everything. And trying to find their way in the world, trying to exert their authority. And you know, I was just like, yeah, I don't like this. I can't do this. I was like, yeah, I'm gonna have to find me a high school gig in some other district now. Yeah, so. Because that, because at that point now I was hooked on high school. So, so I was talking to this special ed supervisor. Her and I went to elementary school together. And I was like, hey, this isn't a threat at all. But I cannot do this middle school thing. So anything comes available at the high school, please, please, I'm begging you, please let me know. Because I was a great self contained teacher. I was great with my population of students that I worked with. And so, you know, you kind of get pigeonholed. I was like, I will do inclusion. I will be a mainstream teacher. Put me on a car, just get me back to the high school. So like, you know, I think of baseball, just put me. I gotta get it back to the show, the big show.

Nick Mays [00:53:38] And so that's a good analogy.

Monique Davis [00:53:40] Yeah. Get trying to get back to the big show. And they, the person who, when I moved to the elementary school, they put her back in self contained. The person who went on the cart for me, Joyce Coven. Love her. We still, she retired. I still call her from time to time, check on her. [00:53:58] But she was retiring, so they was like, hey, Coven's retiring. Do you want to come back to iop? I said, absolutely, you didn't have to ask. Just put my name on the list. So I went back.

Nick Mays And is this 2016. 

Monique Davis Yes. Yes it was.

Nick Mays [00:54:20] Yeah, based on my research.

Monique Davis [00:54:23] Right. Yes. Well, and it was interesting because we had a lot of teachers who could retire and retire that year because they were changing the retirement rules. So you had to either go in 2016 or you fell under the new retirement rules.

Nick Mays [00:54:39] I see.

Monique Davis [00:54:40] So the people who could go did. And she came back though. She came back.

Nick Mays [00:54:45] So let's, let's pivot. Well, we're still in education, but let's focus on Shaw 2016 to into your transition and talk about innovation, computer science, cyber security. Right, like this. Right. And so, okay, so first question and then you pivot and begin to teach computer science and cyber security. Can you talk about that pivot and why it was important to you?But I think even before there, then there was a term that you, you use, sneak teaching. Before you was officially teaching computer science and cyber security, you was doing the sneak teacher. So start with the sneak teaching and then we'll, then we'll kind of pivot to the main question.

Monique Davis [00:55:50] Well, this is where, remember I got that computer technology endorsement. Yeah, this is where that came into play because I was teaching high school students who were going to go out into the world, out into the workforce, and I knew technology was becoming more and more prevalent. They had their little phones and everything. And so you've got to know technology and how to use it. So I had a class, because I had a smaller class of self contained. I had three computers in my room and other. Well, no, two and the teacher computer. So the students had two computers to use and then other classes got five because they had more kids.So I kept saying, this isn't enough computers. I wanted my kids to be able to get on the websites, to be able to do things with the computers. And I said, well, how come I don't, how do I get more computers? And then the IT guy at the time said, well, we got a room full of computers. You can go in there, look and see if you can put some together. And I said, say less. So we went to the room where computers go to die and I had a couple of students with me and we set up a monitor, a keyboard and a mouse. And we were just taking towers over and seeing if we could get on. And some had xp, some had Vista. So it was like, okay, we only want the ones that we know are going to be around for a while. So we were plugging them in. I would have the kids test, okay, try to get on this website. And then if they could get on the website and maneuver through it, okay, put that one on the, on the cart that. We're gonna take that one with us. So we put together. At that time I had 14 kids in my class. We put together 14 computer stations in the room. So in theory, I had a working computer lab as well as a classroom. And so then my kids had to. We brought all the stuff back, so the kids had to put it together. So I had them putting the, okay, let's plug in everything. So you know how to plug it in. Because at the end of the year we have to take it all apart and put it up. So that's kind of how I got into my kids being able to put together the computers and take them apart. And so once they did that, somebody came in and saw them doing it and it's like, well, can they come set up my computers in my room? So that was one of the jobs that they had. It's like, okay, at the beginning of the year, you go in and set up teachers computers in their room. And then at the end of the year, you go in and break them down and put them up. So that became a skill. And I started making different jobs in my room. You can do this, you can do that. And my kids were one. I had an observation. Mr. Holland was a principal, assistant principal. He came in and he did an observation when my kids were on the computer doing different things. And I think something was not working or something. And one of my kids pulled the computer out and was checking the connections back in the back and everything. He's like, Ms. Davis, he's like, it's this cord right here. It's not working because I tested it on the other ones and it's not working on that one too. Can we get a new one of these cords? It was the ethernet core. And he was like, how do you kids know how to do that? I said, well, they learned, they're learning job skills in here. I said, I'm teaching them how to do stuff on the computer. And it just kind of naturally happened. And so he was like, so you've been doing all this computer stuff in here with these kids? And I was like, my students know a lot of stuff about they were doing scratch on the computer. So they were block coding and stuff. Yeah, they were, you know, repeated practice. They can handle anything. So he went back and told the other administrators.

Nick Mays [00:59:34] That's impressive.

Monique Davis [00:59:36] So that was the sneak teaching because you know, in my little space we could pretty much do whatever we wanted because there was no set curriculum, there was no bought curriculum for my program. So I had to piece together everything every year. And I did it based on my students interest and their ability levels. So I was in there sneak teaching technology and computer stuff and nobody knew. And I was fine with that because in my space I could do what I wanted. And then they went out and told people and I wound up being the push in to our computer science teachers. Teacher Shanti coasting, she was teaching an IT class the last period of the day. So I pushed into that class with some of my students the first year and then the second year they pulled me halftime special ed, half time computer science. So I was teaching about the foundational courses. I was teaching like exploring computer science Science. I was teaching the IT class that I pushed into. I was now teaching that class and I had one other, I think I had two. Exploring computer science class and then an IT class. So three periods of that and then three periods of still having my full caseload my students.

Nick Mays [01:01:01] So when you unpack the sneak teaching and the curriculum he was creating and the programming you was creating at that time you was in effect doing more than what you were actually being paid to do or contracted. So you were going over and beyond.

Monique Davis [01:01:26] No, because I don't think of it that way. Because if I'm teaching independent living and I'm preparing you for the world and for jobs, when you leave me, then that's not more and it's not above what I was being paid to do. That's exactly what I was supposed to be doing.

Nick Mays [01:01:41] I see. Okay. Because I'm. I'm just in my mind I'm thinking and this is not to. You don't have to answer this. But in my mind I'm thinking maybe there's colleagues who are like hey Ms. Davis, slow down. Like we have contracts.

Monique Davis [01:01:54] And what I was doing in my room, people didn't come to my room cuz I had the others. You know, so we were self contained. We were in our own little world. We were tucked away over in a corner. You had to go, you had to be coming to my room. We were right by the office. But our, we had a little [inaudible] that you had to swing into my room in order to come in there. So you had to be destined for my room. You didn't just walk by and see us in there doing something, which was another thing that I liked because you could do what you wanted. And then interesting story. Like my principal, one of my assistant principals now who's in charge of CTE at the district I'm at now, he was my co teacher in the independent living program. So he was, he was teaching science--science and social studies-- and I taught math and English.

Nick Mays [01:02:50] So were you teaching in the newer version of Shaw at the time? So you're in a new building?

Monique Davis [01:02:57] And we shared a bathroom so we could get to each other's classrooms through the bathroom because we had a door in each one of our classrooms that went to the bathroom. So our kids freely went back and forth between each of our classrooms. And so when I moved to half time, somebody else had to, you know, he had to pick up more of the pace and that load of what I was doing.

Nick Mays [01:03:21] So, okay, so let's, let's pivot then, it's a good time and talk and talk about the programs that you created and what you were teaching in a more nuanced way. So you developed a computer science and cyber security program at Shaw. Talk about that, the evolution, how you started it and just the process.

Monique Davis [01:03:52] So to be clear, the computer science program was already going on. Shanti Colston was teaching the bulk of that. We brought me in to teach the early computer science classes so that she could teach the more advanced. She could do the APs she could do. I couldn't even tell you all the things that she was doing that were higher level than just this is your introduction to computer science. [01:04:17] So I was doing the, this is your introduction to computer science. These are all the things that are a part of computer science that you could do. So I taught two of those classes and then I was teaching the IT class and we were partnered with company, an organization called Tech Corps, Tech Corpse, Tech Corps. [01:04:40] And they would bring you computers, your kids would work in groups and they did. We did a curriculum that at the end of it, you built a computer from the ground up, like the tower. You put all the parts pieces in the motherboard, you put in the CPU you, you put in all the parts that you needed to have to build this tower and then attached it to the monitor, the keyboard, the mouse, and you plugged it in wala. So we were doing that. So that was the class that I really enjoyed the most. I enjoyed teaching eit. I enjoyed the pieces and parts of it. The exploring computer science. That one was. I liked it. But the IT class was my jam. So when they were creating the. They were creating the career tech pathway. It was cyber security and it. And originally Shanti Coon was going to be the person who was doing that. And then I was going to kind of move and take on more of her computer science classes. And she got a job at another district. And so they then said, okay, we got this career tech pathway that we have to. We have to do it. So I wound up being pulled from halftime special ed teaching and halftime computer science. So I was full career tech.

Nick Mays [01:06:16] And then the cyber security. Can you talk about everything? I mean, the program, the process. The pathway, juniors and seniors, leadership training, real world experience. Just go everywhere. Just unpack that.

Monique Davis [01:06:39] Okay. So the first year we were still. We were on. It was a weird progression because we were coming out of COVID We had different. The AB schedule. We had kids coming Sundays on A schedule, kids coming on B schedule. So those first couple of years were really tough. And I was doing Microsoft, had a. Microsoft philanthropies had a program called Microsoft Teals. And don't ask me what teals stand for. I know it's technology education and something else. But they would recruit people from computer science to volunteer time in the classroom. And. Which was wonderful because I was like, I don't know what I'm doing. I don't know much about cyber security. So yeah, okay, let's do this. So. Or computer science because I was teaching the fundamentals. I was the introduced introductory. So here's a little bit of everything. Now you want me to teach AP Computer Science. You want me to teach. So it's like. So Teals was great for me for that because it gave me a volunteer who was knowledgeable when it came to programming, who was knowledgeable when it came to I.T. Concepts and things. So I had that person for one hour a couple days a week. And they would. One person, Jennifer Darley, she taught at Microsoft or she not taught, she worked at Microsoft. She was coming into the classroom. So I had her for one day in the classroom. And then I had various volunteers that would zoom in because they were in different cities. So one of my long term volunteers, Sean McDonough, was out of Cincinnati. And so he would zoom into my classroom two days a week and over zoom built a relationship with my kids. They start calling them Uncle McDonough and then it shortened to just unk. And he, for five years was in my classroom two times a week, every day. And my kids thrived. And I learned so much because having never taught in the industry, I got a chance to, or not taught, but have never worked in the industry. I got a chance to glean and learn things that I otherwise probably wouldn't have known about computer science about it about. And then they exposed me to different conferences to go to different people as well. And now I have another volunteer, Jonathan Meredith. He came on board this about two years ago. And so same thing. The kids right away built a bond with him. My kids who just graduated from Fallout from Shaw last spring, still keep in touch with them. So it's, I enjoy that part of it because I get to meet people. They help me grow the program. And when I needed to ask questions about what do you think about this? What equipment do you think I need? Should I get? They were my sounding board. Now the program was, I was able to grow the program and create the program with. Because we had the space at Shaw number one. I had a classroom where I did my teaching right next door. We took a classroom and made that the tech lab because that's where we used to store all the carts when the kids didn't have their own carts and we were handing them out to teachers to use in the classroom at a time. So our cart room became my tank tech lab. And so my students learned how to fix Chromebooks. And so when a kid had a problem with a Chromebook, they come during tech lab hours and they would, we would look at it. If it was something we could fix quickly, okay. If not, okay, here, use this loaner while we fix your Chromebook.

Nick Mays [01:10:55] And this was the hands on real world learning that they were doing.

Monique Davis [01:11:00] Yep. And they clocked in, they clocked out. We had a ticketing system. One of my men, one of my volunteers brought on the ticketing system. And so they were doing real tickets. They had to resolve them or they could ask questions of those kids. What, okay, go back and forth. Real world.

Nick Mays [01:11:19] What was your interest in cyber security? And did you create that program? Did you create.

Monique Davis [01:11:27] No, that was the career tech pathway. The career tech pathway, when they applied to the state was for cyber security. And so I, I didn't have a hand in really putting that part together because I think the plan was Shanti Coulston was going to be teaching that and she was going to be the career tech teacher. So that was kind of all planned out, I think, on their end. And I just kind of took it over and did it though.

Nick Mays [01:11:57] Why was the leadership training and the hands on real world learning so central to the program?

Monique Davis [01:12:07] Because it constantly exposed me to new and different things and it gave me opportunity to expose my students to those things as well. Cleveland State has a wonderful program for teachers who are interested in computer science and technology of any kind. And it was called CS for cle and they would have get togethers, they would have trainings, they pay for professional development for teachers. So I constantly had a source of knowledge and education coming my way because there was always an opportunity with this group of teachers who were all computer science inclined, saying, hey, did you hear about this conference? Hey, did you know that this was going on? Hey, are you interested in doing this workshop? And so that was kind of my always learning, always needing progressing, always needing to find out what I need to know. So my kids have everything that they have need when they walk out the door. It's so funny because I got to the point where I would have my kids develop a binder. I'm like, so we. It would have all kinds of information.

Nick Mays [01:13:20] Is this the portfolio?

Monique Davis [01:13:22] No, this is a binder.

Nick Mays [01:13:23] Oh, binder.

Monique Davis [01:13:24] So it's a physical binder with your notes, with your handouts. And they were so upset with me all the time because they had to keep it together and they had, they got graded for it and you had to have all of these ducks in a row. But I knew when they went away college that it would be a tool. So one of my first kids that ever called me back is like, mistakes. Everything in that binder I'm using now. I know so much more than my other classmates, blah, blah, blah. And I said, secret teacher isn't dumb.

Nick Mays [01:13:58] This is a good time. So what does it mean to you to see students earn certificates and build portfolios and enter. You have, you had kids who enter the workforce directly after high school and then the students who, who transition to higher education.

Monique Davis [01:14:15] Oh yeah. I mean, that's like proud mama moment. You know, it's like you get the beam especially. I just talked over Christmas break. I talked to one of my students who graduated in the spring and he was like, he's like, I'm learning so much. But he said a Lot of stuff we're doing. I already know. And I was like, see, look at that. Look at God.

Nick Mays I think that's just so fascinating. You know, you have students who are, can use that skill set, those certificates to go directly into the workforce and then others to major in cyber security or, you know, technology or areas of technology.

Monique Davis [01:14:58] And I tell people all the time that this pathway can be life changing, can have such a huge impact so quickly on a student's life. Because entry level IT jobs start at 25, $30 an hour. You know, cyber security. Entry level cyber security in the Cleveland area starts out at $75,000. Can you imagine in your early 20s graduating from college and having a $75,000 job? And that's average. I mean, could be more depending on how many certifications you also have. Life altering for them and their family. Yeah, imagine that.

Nick Mays [01:15:50] So let me ask you a question. What did it feel like? Just kind of some, a couple of philosophical questions. What did it feel like to return to Shaw not as a student, but as an educator?

Monique Davis [01:16:05] That was an awe moment because I was now colleagues with some of the teachers that I had as teachers. Mr. Raggedy was one of my teachers, and now we were working together. Mr. Hines was one of my coaches, and now we're working together. So it was just. Ms. Abernathy was already retired, but I was like, man, Mr. [inaudible]. But it was. Mr. Roach was my science teacher and he was still there. When I got there in 2009, it was just, I was like, man, look, I made it to the big leagues. I'm here with teachers I looked up to.

Nick Mays [01:16:52] Do you think being a student at Shaw helped kind of shape your approach to teaching and mentorship at Shaw, as an Educator?

Monique Davis [01:17:03]
Oh, yeah. Oh yeah. I, I used to tell the kids, I want you to have the kind of education that my kids have. And I, that's why I teach here at Shaw, because I want you to have the best education. So I don't, I don't take lightly the time that you're in my class. And no, you can't sit in here on your phone. And no, you can't sit here and just shoot chill because no, every moment, every second counts here in this room. I got so much stuff to put in you in such a limited amount of time. I got to send you out into the world with as much information as possible. So they would be like, we can't just chill today. No, absolutely not. You will not do that in this class. You can Chill if I'm sick because I won't be here.

Nick Mays [01:17:54] The Shaw reunion?

Monique Davis [01:17:57] I don't really do the reunion. I'm an introvert by nature, so I know it doesn't seem like it. And when I'm teaching people, so you can't possibly be an introvert. But yeah, big crowds, lots of people.

Nick Mays [01:18:09] Why does it mean so much to?

Monique Davis [01:18:11] To people in general? Because we are Shaw High. We are Shaw High. That is a mindset. That's an advantage mentality that is in our DNA. So, yeah, I support the reunion. And yes, everybody go do it. Yes, I am a cardinal through and through, even though I'm in tiger country.

Nick Mays I went to the last one. I experienced it. Yeah, I was there for about three and a half hours on Sunday, the picnic, something. I've never this year saw anything like that.

Monique Davis [01:18:47] This year I went up at the end of it because I knew there wouldn't be as many people, people would be dissipating. So I went up and walked around and saw a couple students I hadn't seen in years. A couple of my students had their babies with them, their little kids. And, you know, I got to hug on them and love on them. And I said, that's the reason to go is to. Because alumni from all years and walks of life come. But my grandkids, I went. When I first moved back, the only year that it was at Euclid Creek park was the year that I. The first year that I went because I moved back from Lima and I was here and my sister graduated from Shaw too. So she was like, come on, let's go. Let's go to the reunion. Let's go to the park. Because she had not been. Because she used to. She had been living in New York for many years, and when she came back, she just didn't do it. So we went. The park had shut down. You being able to get into the park, so you had to park on Euclid. And then you had to walk up to Euclid. And when I tell you it was wall to wall, people you were moving through the aisle trying to get to. And I was just like, yeah, I'm not doing this again.

Nick Mays [01:19:59] Let's pivot again. Can you talk about outside of your formal teaching roles? What are some community work or engagement or service that you're doing outside of education?

Monique Davis [01:20:15] I do a couple of things. Two of the biggest organizations that I'm involved with, the NORCODA

Nick Mays [01:20:27] N O R C O D a

Monique Davis [01:20:29] the North Coast Drone alliance. And that's professionals who are in the drone, into drones, in the drone profession. They use them in their business or there's teachers that are involved that do it. We teach students how to use drones. So been on that board for a couple years and just, you know, drone enthusiasts. So we created a membership for teachers who want to bring their students under their membership. So, I mean, have fly ins and those kinds of things. So that's something I like. We do the air show every year at Burke. So yeah, it's a passion of mine. I love drones. I love teaching kids and people how to use drones. I'm not a good flyer. The hand eye coordination thing for me is a problem. One of my students put me on a no fly list once because I downed the drone and then couldn't find. We couldn't find it. So. Yeah.

Nick Mays [01:21:32] And then there's another organization. You said it was two initiatives?

Monique Davis [01:21:36] Yeah, and I'm a part of the League of Women Voters, the East Cleveland chapter. I'm the chapter president right now.

Nick Mays [01:21:43] So can you tell me a little bit about that?

Monique Davis [01:21:48] I just think voter education and students voting, people being involved in what happens in their lives, a lot of people don't think their vote matters. And understanding how your vote determines who gets to make decisions about your life every day, that, you know, having that, that mindset and that understanding at a young age is so important. And since we don't teach civics as a class in the classroom anymore, we need to have those organizations and those outlets that still give people that information and put it out there. So I enjoyed that.

Nick Mays [01:22:27] You was recognized as one of the women of East Cleveland.

Monique Davis [01:22:32] Yes.

Nick Mays [01:22:33] Congratulations.

Monique Davis [01:22:34] Thank you. Thank you. That was so surprising. I was like, who me?

Nick Mays [01:22:39] What did that mean to you?

Monique Davis [01:22:40] It was, I mean, it was a great feeling. It was a great opportunity. Yeah. You want me to walk across the stage though, in front of people? Yeah. Why? Can I just have my certificate and go home? But no, it was. I love the idea of East Cleveland recognizing who the people are that are doing things for a betterment of East Cleveland, whether it's in our classrooms, in our schools, or in our community. I love that idea.

Nick Mays [01:23:17] Okay, our last two pivots, East Cleveland, then and now, some misconceptions. So you witnessed East Cleveland across multiple decades. How would you describe the East Cleveland then growing up versus the now or the last couple of decades or the last decade?

Monique Davis [01:23:38] For sure. Well, you know, when I was growing up, East Cleveland was an up and coming suburb. And it was the suburb you wanted to live in. I mean, I had such fond memories of how the streets looked and how the businesses looked and how the green lawns, the green trees, the manicured neighborhoods. And you. When you went from one street, one block to the next, it was a well kept, well maintained suburb. And I love that about my city. I mean, Brewster and Glen, the big brick Rockefeller Homes. I loved walking up and down those streets. I had a friend in elementary school who lived on Brewster and I would say, one day I'm gonna have a house on Brewster. But I love just the neighborhoods, the different neighborhoods in our city, how it looked. Now it's hard to look at what you've known and see what it's become, but I have hope for what it can be too. So I'm looking forward to us transitioning back into a city in the know.

Nick Mays [01:25:02] What do you think about or what do you think people most misunderstand or maybe some misconceptions conceptions about East Cleveland? What informs that? That question for me about misconceptions, or external people misunderstanding? East Cleveland and East Clevelanders is the discourse surrounding East Cleveland; the media, even academia and everything. For the most part, it highlights the most dangerous, most porous, most violent city. You know, if you go on YouTube, you can watch like a thousand videos of YouTubers coming to East Cleveland. They're going to the worst parts, right? Encountering people. So, so, but to kind of circle back. So that created a perception. And everywhere I go when I tell people I'm doing work in East Cleveland, they go, oh, East Cleveland, the city that xyz.

Monique Davis [01:26:13] Right.

Nick Mays [01:26:14] And so in, in your. To just kind of talk through that. But, but land your plane on Misconceptions or yeah of East Cleveland.

Monique Davis [01:26:27] I think there are a lot of people here in East Cleveland who are working hard to bring East Cleveland back to the glory it's once had. There are a lot of people here who have been here the whole time and they're like, we've been fighting for the East Cleveland that we know and recognize. And there are people who are actively working day in and day out for the East Cleveland that's always been here. Now. So many things have come through East Cleveland and a lot of things that happen in East Cleveland are brought into East Cleveland. It's not necessarily the residents of East Cleveland. I think a lot of things have been stripped from East Cleveland. A lot of the funding has been stripped from East Cleveland. The home ownership has been stripped From East Cleveland, we get a lot of people that buy houses here and rent them out. And we all know that people who own houses take better care and treat houses better than people who rent them. So that's a part of. There's a lot of the revitalization that goes on in other communities. Doesn't happen here. And there are businesses, companies that own these buildings in East Cleveland that let them just sit blighted. Why is that? Okay, you know, why can you write down Euclid and these houses. These buildings aren't owned by the citizens of the East Cleveland. So why aren't these. How do we make them take care of those? How do we make them restore them or tear them down so somebody else can come and develop it? Why is it that they're being left like that? So there's a lot of misconceptions, and people ride through and say, look at this, look at that. But it's like, okay, who's responsible for that? It's not the people who are owning the homes and taking care of their homes and paying their taxes and making sure things are as best they can make it so.

Nick Mays [01:28:29] And two, to add on to that, the lack of attention putting. Being put on people like you and educators and institutions. I mean, we're in the East Cleveland public libraries. They're doing phenomenal programming.

Monique Davis [01:28:44] Yeah, this is the community hub.

Nick Mays [01:28:47] And so, you know, there's not enough highlighting of that. And again, the citizens who love their city, who mobilize for their city, who, you know, engages in community building and community activism. You know, again, our educators like yourself, and educators who go over and beyond and really care and Shaw. And so there's a lack of attention

Monique Davis [01:29:16] Being brought to the positive things that are going on. We know we have our issues. We know that. But there's so much positive that happens and goes on here day in and day out.

Nick Mays [01:29:28] So revitalization efforts, redevelopment efforts. There are external partners or external, excuse me, organizations and institutions like the Cuyahoga Land bank who are investing in certain areas. Kind of big picture. Where are you at with these external efforts going on?

Monique Davis [01:29:54] I have mixed feelings. I have mixed feelings. We're trying to rebrand East Cleveland with kind of a new name, new neighborhood. And, you know, I've grown up, and this is East Cleveland, and it'll always be East Cleveland. So I don't. I don't care for the rebranding of, you know, certain neighborhoods pushing into East Cleveland and calling it different things.

Nick Mays [01:30:24] How about the efforts in and of itself, putting the millions of dollars in investments.

Monique Davis [01:30:29] The effort are great, well intentioned, as long as it doesn't push the lifers in the long term residents out. For me, and that can happen in a couple of ways. You could, you know, start to kind of move people out of the neighborhood who've always been here, or you can tax them out with property taxes. As we bring in the new revitalization, as we build the new homes, does that change the property tax value for some of our senior citizens who've been here for 30, 40, 50 years in their homes? So that's a concern that I have. Is there going to be some legacy program for the people who've been in their home so they don't get priced out of their home because of the renovating that we're doing in the new home building that we're doing? Are they going to lose their homes because the taxes are something they can't afford? So that's one of the, that's one of my concerns with the development coming in that we don't push out the people who stuck it out and been here and wanting to change and trying to help with the change and then they can't be here for the change.

Nick Mays [01:31:40] Where do you see the resilience, strength and possibilities in East Cleveland for the future?

Monique Davis [01:31:47] Resilience is that the people who've always seen the beauty of East Cleveland and are here, they, we all know it's here. And I think it's so, it's so hopeful for what the future can bring. I have high hopes for East Cleveland and I see a bright future for East Cleveland, because we know we're a diamond in the rough. We know that.

Nick Mays [01:32:27] Okay. Reflection, impact, looking forward. When you reflect on your career, what moments are you most proud of?

Monique Davis [01:32:42] There's too many moments, big and small. There's something on a regular basis, on daily basis almost that I think about a kid who did something or said something and it made me say, this is why I do it. So I, you know, when I was teaching special ed and I would have kids that didn't feel like they could do something and I remember a kid getting mad at me, I remember her getting mad at me because I was teaching average, mean, median and mo teaching averages. And you know, I was showing them how to cut, calculate the average and they, this was their freshman year, they came up from the middle school and I used to always tell them, you will learn things in here. Anything that I present to you, I will teach you how to do it. We're not just going to touch on it and then move on. You will learn how to do it. So if you can't do it the first day or the second day, don't give up, because you will get it. You will learn it. Anything I give you in here, you will do it. And so I would always teach. So I wouldn't teach and say, this is the average we're going to learn medium. I would say, okay, take these five numbers, add them together. Okay, now we're going to divide it. You should calculate, divide it by five. Because there were five numbers. And then they would do it. I said, okay, let's do it again. Okay, so can everybody add? Can everybody divide? And then did you get the same number that I got? Okay, so you just learned how to average numbers. And then I tell them what the technical math term was for that. And then, okay, let me teach you medium. Let me teach you. Let me teach you mode. And they were like, so that's all this is. We're just adding numbers. And I said, yeah, but you know, math has technical terms just like science has technical terms. Just so I said, just because you hear something that sounds hard or difficult, don't you ever underestimate yourself that you can't learn. And so she got mad because she's like, okay, how much longer we going to do this? I need you to teach me something else. I was like, okay, but I want to make sure everybody. She's like, okay, we got it, Ms. Davis, let's move on. We got it. Let's go. And I was like, but to have somebody get that invested in their education and say, you're taking too long, we're ready to move forward. What's the next thing you're gonna teach us? That makes me tear up. I mean, and we might end up moving that student out of my self contained independent living program.And she went into regular ed. She pushed in regular ed with supports. And because I learned, I figured, I said, she doesn't belong in here, we gotta get her out of here. And then she said, you try to get rid of me. I said, you can come visit anytime. Gotta get out of here.And yep, she did. We got her out. She did all. She. She thrived in the regular classroom. Listen, my family tells me all the time, okay, teacher mode, teacher mode. Can you get out of teacher mode

Nick Mays [01:36:07] with last final two questions? What advice would you give young people or people in general, especially east Clevelanders who are current generation East Clevelanders or former, you know, or, you know, I want to say older generations, but this generation, the last generations. What advice would you give East Cleveland about the dynamic of situation now, but the future.

Monique Davis [01:36:43] Reinvest in East Cleveland because we. We can only go up from here. Reinvest your time, your commitment, your energy. Reinvest

Nick Mays [01:36:55] finally, when future generations, like, look back East Clevelanders, what do you hope your contribution to East Cleveland will represent? This is more like a legacy. Like, what do you want your legacy to be?

Monique Davis [01:37:15] I love kids. I cared about kids day in and day out in this city when I was teaching them on my back porch when we were neighborhood kids to my time teaching in East Cleveland. And even now that I'm gone, I still. I was a teacher who gave kids my number and parents my number. So I still have kids that reach out to me. Kids that are at Shaw right now will reach out and say, hey, I have a question. Can you help me with. Sure. Why would I not?

Nick Mays [01:37:52] Powerful. wow. 

Nick Mays [01:37:55] Well, Ms. Davis, thank you for sitting down with us. Thank you for sharing your. Your story and contributing to this endeavor, which I've developed such a passion for. I think it's really important, and I love that I get to do this work and engage human beings, professional residents like yourself. Thank you for your work and your work in education, your mentorship and your contributions to our world. I appreciate you. Thank you.

Monique Davis [01:38:30] Thank you so much. Appreciate it.

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